28 Days and the Language of Love
by Gariell
Summary: Every night, Yamazaki Sousuke visits the seashore behind his house to listen to a beautiful humming coming from the sea. One stormy night, a green-eyed stranger appears at the front door of his house, bringing nothing but a seashell that reads '28 Days' and the name 'Makoto' carved on it. It seems like Makoto can't speak his language and has no memory about his past life. Mer AU.
1. The First Day

**Hi, I'm Gariell and thank you for stopping by. Just in case you're reading my other multi-chapter fics, please don't strangle me. I know I'm horrible at holding back. This is my sixth ongoing multi-chapter fic, but I can assure you that this story won't be a long one. Except for one-shot, I won't publish anything else after this one, unless one of my multi-chapters has been finished. I will most likely finish this real quick compared to the other fics. I originally intended this fic to be a long one-shot, but I realized it's better to be chaptered.**

 **Putting that aside, thank you for giving this fic a chance! Yes, this fic is about merman Makoto. I've written another merfic but I just can't get enough of it. In all nervousness, I hope you enjoy this one.**

 **Reviews are very much appreciated and I hope I'll see you again in the next chapter. ^^**

* * *

 **Chapter 1  
**

 **The First Day**

 **:-:**

He hears it again.

This particularly melodious, honeyed voice has been teasing his eardrums to pleasure almost every night. The song is hummed from the sea, carried by the sea breeze, harmonized with sounds made by soft licks of calm waves onto the wet sand. Yamazaki Sousuke inhales a whiff of salty air as his gaze drifts toward the dark horizon. The moon adds a sparkling touch over the ripples of water.

Just like what he will do every night, Sousuke settles himself in a relaxed sitting position near the crashing waves. His legs are stretched lazily to the front, palms buried over the sand. He closes his teal irises, suspending his thoughts to immerse in the soothing melody of the sea.

The first time Sousuke moved to this small, comfortable house standing by the sea, he'd questioned where the song actually came from. The tunes dancing in the air were unmistakably hummed by a voice produced with vocal cords. Someone is always humming in the night. Yet, whenever Sousuke tried to follow the source of the voice, the song always stopped abruptly, drifting away to nothingness by the soft breeze.

Since a month ago, Sousuke has stopped trying to find out who is humming the song. He accepts this magical and pleasant hearing experience as a gift from the miraculous, mysterious depth of the ocean. He has learned to bury his curiosity and ignore it.

Finally, the humming softens, until the voice turns faint before disappearing. Sousuke exhales a deep breath, then his lips crack to a smile. Tomorrow, he will come again, and the day after that, and the following days. Every tomorrow night, Sousuke would like to come near this isolated side of the sea to enjoy the mysterious humming.

He doesn't, and will never, tell anyone about his secret little piece of heaven on earth. Not even to Rin. This side of the sea is his, and his alone. This voice, glazed with honey, is there for his own pleasure. He will protect it from any harm.

* * *

This moonless night, Sousuke isn't able to come out of his house. A storm is roaring outside. If Sousuke doesn't know better, he will suspect that the rooftop of his house has been blown away by the blasting gust of wind. Sousuke is never afraid of storms. In this weather, instead of curling up to a big bundle, he brews a steamy black coffee and sits by his study desk, reading an old crime novel he inherited from his late-grandfather.

He's engrossed in the climax of the story when he hears hard knocks against the front door. At first, Sousuke ignores them, assuming they are just hallucinatory sounds made by the howling wind. Yet, when the knocks intensify, he releases a grunt as he abandons his novel dog-eared on the desk. Sousuke walks toward the front door, wondering who will come to his house in this weather and at this late hour. The teal-eyed man is ready with a crowbar in case it turns out to be an attack rather than a friendly guest.

When Sousuke carefully opens the front door and peeks outside, he clearly doesn't expect to see a young man drenched under the heavy rainfall. He barely wears any clothes—he's covered only by a piece of old ragged clothes people will most likely throw away. What immediately seizes Sousuke's attention is his pair of vivid, lovely green eyes that are naturally droopy as if he's sleepy. Sousuke is struck by the radiating beauty of this man, despite the horrible dark clothes he's wearing. His mouth parts open, crowbar dangled in his loose grasp. Sousuke blinks, trying not to let his guard down. "Who are you?" He asks, glaring at the suspicious man.

Instead of answering, the man tilts his head to the side, seemingly confused. Sousuke ignores how charmed he is by the cuteness of that little gesture. He furrows his brows. Does he fail to hear Sousuke's question? The storm is cacophonous, after all.

"Who are you?" Sousuke repeats with louder, yet lower tones. When the man in front of him doesn't even react, Sousuke tries again. "Who. Are. You?" He's practically shouting in his attempt to defeat the cacophony of the storm. Is this man deaf?

The man is clearly shivering in the cold, but Sousuke fights the urge to invite him inside. He won't let a suspicious man invade his private property.

Those green eyes shift their gaze toward the ground. Sousuke notices that his hands are clutching something in front of his tummy. It looks like a seashell—a large cockle shell, to be precise. Muttering a small, possibly unheard 'excuse me', Sousuke hesitantly takes the shell out of the man's weak grasps. He finds nothing extraordinary from the shell. Sousuke does a quick inspection of the stranger's body. He seems to bring no weapon—he's obviously empty-handed, and his ragged clothes are barely covering his tall and lean body.

Letting out a sigh, he finally gives in. "Come inside," Sousuke says, "you're shivering." He gently pulls the man's arm, guiding him inside his warm house. Sousuke can't stop thinking who this man is. Is he a beggar? Judging from the clothes, he does look like a beggar, yet he doesn't even make an attempt to beg him for something. Does he make the right move of letting him inside?

Once they are inside, the lights in Sousuke's house allow him to see the stranger more clearly. He's a brunet—he has olive-brown hair that perfectly harmonizes the beautiful green of his eyes. His body is nicely sculpted—there's no unnecessary fat either. He's just a little shorter than Sousuke, who has been considered very tall among his peers.

The brunet is unbelievably attractive. Sousuke wants to rip those ridiculous clothes off him—no, not to expose more of his body (which is definitely a wrong thing to do to a stranger, although Sousuke secretly indulges that little fantasy), but to dress him in a more appropriate garment, preferably a warm one. Sousuke realizes that is what he has to do. The stranger wraps his arms around his shivering body, trying to fight the cold.

Sousuke hesitates before pulling the man along to stop in front of the door of his bedroom. "Wait here. Don't think of doing anything," he commands as he enters his room. He leaves the door opened so he can constantly take a glance at the brunet—who's just standing there while watching Sousuke—as he rummages inside his wardrobe. Sousuke pulls out a fresh dry towel and a set of his clothes. He throws the towel toward the green-eyed stranger, who awkwardly catches it in between his arms. "Dry yourself up."

Thankfully, the brunet finally moves and does what Sousuke asked him. As he rubs the towel over his soaked body, Sousuke approaches him with his set of clothes. "Go and change. You may take a shower if you want. The bathroom's there at the corner." He hands his set of clothes to the stranger.

The other stares at the clothes in his hands for a while. Suddenly, he shifts his gaze up to Sousuke and his seemingly soft lips curl into an adorable smile—a smile wide enough that his eyes are closed. Sousuke's heart isn't prepared for this. That smile can match the sunshine and make flowers bloom. It's that kind of smile that is capable to stop a war.

 _Angel,_ Sousuke subconsciously states, _he's too angelic to be human._

Sousuke's heart feels like bursting and blushes creep all over his face when he notices that the brunet is innocently pulling the remaining of his clothes off and seems ready to show off all his naked glory in front of him. "Oi!" Sousuke blurts in panic, grabbing the other's wrist before he can strip off more than appropriate. "D-do it in the bathroom!"

The stranger blinks in confusion. Sousuke takes a deep breath before pushing him toward the bathroom. "Do you understand a thing I say? Can you answer me? Can you speak at all? Are you deaf, or are you mute?" Sousuke doesn't expect himself to bombard the clueless stranger with series of questions, but he can't help being curious.

He's frustrated when he still receives no answer. Sousuke pushes him gently inside the bathroom and closes the door from the outside. His heart strangely pounds against his ribcage. This whole situation is confusing. He never meets a stranger like this that he doesn't know what he should do. Suddenly, he remembers the large cockle shell the brunet is bringing with him. Where did he put it? He walks away from the bathroom, spotting the cockle shell on the end table near the front door.

Sousuke takes the seashell in his palm and examines it. It has a beautiful orange color. He flips it to the other side, revealing the white surface, which should be the internal part. What takes his fascination are the words and numbers written on it. They are carved on the white surface.

 _28 Days_

 _Makoto_

"Twenty-eight days. Makoto." He reads. What are these supposed to mean? Is 'Makoto' a name? Probably the stranger's name?

Sousuke hears a distant sound of shower coming from the bathroom. He massages his temple and makes his way back to his study desk in the bedroom, sipping on his coffee and watching the heavy raindrops land and roll on the glass window. He will let the brunet stay here until the storm is over, then he will kindly ask him to leave, probably giving him some money and clothes. After that, Sousuke can go back to his own happy business. There. That should do it.

Sousuke has reached the falling action part of his novel when he hears the bathroom door being slid open. Sousuke has his bedroom door hanging wide open, so it will be easy for his visitor to find him. It doesn't take long until the brunet shows up in front of his door without entering, wearing Sousuke's set of clothes, which is a bit oversized on him, but definitely much better than his hideous ragged clothes from before.

After turning his novel page dog-eared, Sousuke stands up from his seat and walks to the green-eyed man. He slams his palm at the side of his door, suggestively preventing the stranger to step inside. "So, maybe we need to talk, except if you're mute?"

Finally, the brunet shakes his head.

"So you can speak?"

Ignoring Sousuke's question, the stranger walks away from him. Sousuke squints his eyes in suspicion and silently follows. Sousuke can see his adorable face scrunches in worry when he stops near the empty end table, staring blankly at it.

"Oh, you're searching for this?" Sousuke lifts the large cockle shell in front of him. The brunet turns, widening his green eyes. He approaches him, arm stretches to take the shell. Sousuke instinctively pulls the shell away. "Before that, is your name Makoto?"

The other blinks. Unpredictably, a cute smile starts to form up on his lips again. "Makoto." He finally says, with an extremely familiar, melodious voice glazed with honey.

 _Oh my goodness._

Sousuke can't believe it. His droopy teal eyes widen in shock, mouth gapes open and close like fish out of water. There's no way he doesn't recognize this voice. He hears it almost every night, humming a song from the sea.

"Makoto," the brunet starts again, still speaking with that captivating voice that has the capability to suspend Sousuke's breath in his throat. His finger moves up, pointing at his own chest. "I... I am Makoto..." He awkwardly informs, blushing a little.

"S-so you're not mute..." Sousuke really doesn't know how to reply, nor does he has a clue of what he should do. "Uh, I'm Sousuke. Yamazaki Sousuke." Introducing himself seems to be the easiest, obvious action to take.

"Sousuke." Makoto repeats, his index finger moves up, pointing at Sousuke's chest. His lively green eyes bored into Sousuke's teal ones. "Yamazaki... or... Sousuke...?"

"Both." Sousuke answers, "I mean, both are my names, but just call me Sousuke."

Makoto replies with a silent nod, but no words came out of his mouth. After an awkward silence, Sousuke finally decides to break it.

"So, Makoto, can you understand a thing I say?"

The brunet stares at him blankly, completely clueless. "Makoto... you, a, and I..." he says, and shakes his head. Sousuke concludes that it's Makoto's way to tell him that he only understands four words of Sousuke's question, and not for the rest.

"Where do you come from?"

Again, no reply. Sousuke curses under his breath, feeling grateful that Makoto surely doesn't understand any of his curse words. "Okay, look. I think you're having a serious communicating issues. It's not like you can understand what I said, but..." Sousuke heaves a sigh, "okay."

Now Sousuke can't consider to kick Makoto out of his house in this state. Makoto doesn't have a clue as to how to speak with others. Then again, even when he's fine with the language, Sousuke won't let him go so easily without finding out who Makoto really is. He has the exact same voice as the one that's always humming near the seashore every night.

Out of the blue, an idea strikes Sousuke's head and glows like a bright lamp. "Makoto," he calls, flashing him a small smile. The brunet automatically smiles back. "Come here." He gestures with a hand and starts to walk toward the living room. He turns his body a little, making sure Makoto is following him.

"Come here..." Makoto repeats, walking behind Sousuke. He's slowly but surely learning the language. "Come here."

"Right." Sousuke nods. "You are right."

"I am right." Makoto's smile widens, then he nods, mimicking Sousuke's gesture. The black-haired man can't hold his smile to get wider. Makoto seems like a smart guy. Sousuke is pretty sure that Makoto can easily learn to speak properly within days.

Sousuke enters the living room, finding his laptop resting on the table. He grabs his laptop and sits comfortably on his white sofa, placing the laptop on his lap. Makoto patiently observes him, standing still beside Sousuke. "Sit." Sousuke pats the remaining space beside him, "Sit down."

"Sit down." Makoto echoes again and nods, sitting beside Sousuke. The brunet glances around, bouncing a little on his seat, as if learning his surroundings. Sousuke turns his laptop on, leaning his back against the sofa. As his laptop loads the home screen, Sousuke notices that Makoto is raising his brow, observing the laptop in fascination. "Technology..." he says, fingers rubbing his chin.

"Hey, you understand technology?" Sousuke asks in surprise. Makoto replies with a nod.

"Technology," he points to the laptop, "fancy stuff."

"Wow," Sousuke gives him a small smile, "you do know some words."

Makoto smiles innocently at him, tilting his head to the side. Sousuke simply imagines a questioning mark lingering in the air near Makoto's head. He laughs a little. "You're unbelievable. No worries, you will learn a lot within days. You're a smart guy."

Of course, Makoto barely understands his words. Sousuke focuses his attention to his laptop, fingers playing against the touchpad. He opens up a browser and frowns at the very slow internet connection. It should be expected. Although the storm has died down, the rain is still pouring down in heavy sheets outside.

Sousuke types the word 'home' in the search engine, searching for some images. He opens up a picture of a house, pointing the picture with his index finger. "Look, Makoto."

"Look, Sousuke." Makoto mirrors the first word, staring at the picture in full interest. Sousuke chuckles in amusement.

"No." He shakes his head, _"You_ look."

"I look...?" Makoto smiles. "What is 'look'?"

"Great. At least you know the word 'what'. Look is..." Sousuke rubs the back of his neck. How should he explain this? "Look." He points toward the window. Makoto's eyes followed, pointing his finger as well.

"Look...?" Makoto then swings his finger toward a potted green plant beside the television.

"Well, it's not about pointing your finger. 'Look' is... uh..." Sousuke sighs, "Look at me, Makoto."

"Look at you...?" Makoto is about to lift his finger, but Sousuke grabs his wrist, holding it down.

"Look at me." Sousuke repeats, teal orbs fixed against Makoto's bright emerald eyes. Makoto's eyes are like the sea—the clear green surface of it—and Sousuke feels like he's drowning in them. Adorable blushes adorn Makoto's cheeks as he stares deep at Sousuke, but he doesn't back away, or cut off the invisible strong connection between their gazes.

Before Sousuke can stop himself, he pulls Makoto closer to him. Those green eyes widen in surprise when their faces almost touch. Light puff of Makoto's breath caresses Sousuke's lips. Fighting the strong urge to press his lips against the brunet's to feel how soft they are, Sousuke's hand shoots up toward the back of Makoto's neck. A little push forward will satisfy his abrupt desire, but Sousuke knows how to hold back. His hand lifts up, trailing upward until it reaches the top of Makoto's head and he begins to pat the silky strands of the olive-brown hair. "You understand now?" Sousuke asks, scooting away from his seat and releasing Makoto's wrist.

The blushes haven't left Makoto's cheeks. After Sousuke releases his wrist, Makoto's hand immediately rests onto his chest. Sousuke realizes that his heart is also beating in accelerated pace. His large hand finds Makoto's a bit smaller one on the brunet's chest, pressing both their hands onto it. Faintly, Sousuke can feel Makoto's heart drumming behind the many layers. "Heartbeat." Sousuke says, eyes focus on Makoto's chest. "This is heartbeat."

"Heartbeat." Makoto's tongue obediently follows.

"Yes." Sousuke breathes with a smile, "That's it. That is heartbeat. It's going crazy when you're seeing someone you love." Sousuke hopes Makoto doesn't understand most of the words he says. It's not that he's confident that Makoto loves him. Of course he's not. They're strangers.

Makoto smiles sheepishly, shaking his head again, failing to understand. Sousuke's eyes soften. Makoto is indeed cute. Too cute for their own good, and Sousuke is afraid.

He's afraid if he will be in too deep, and he won't be able to break the surface.

After releasing a deep breath to ease his own chest, Sousuke's hand slowly leaves Makoto's and he pushes his laptop closer to Makoto so both of them can see the screen more clearly. "Look at that." He points again at the image of a nice wooden house. "This is home. Do you have a home?"

"Home..." Makoto's fingertips lightly touch the screen. His green eyes seem distant. "I..."

Sousuke turns to face Makoto.

"I..." Makoto gulps, "Who am I...?"

"You're Makoto." Sousuke answers, raising his brow in bewilderment. Makoto shakes his head.

"Who am I?" He asks again, hands clutching his olive-brown hair. "I don't..."

"You don't know? You mean, you don't know who you are? Are you saying that you're suffering some sort of amnesia?"

Makoto frowns in confusion.

"Alright. Sorry. What I mean is... you don't remember?" He hopes Makoto understands the word 'remember'.

"I don't." Makoto answers, "I don't..."

Great. It is fixed, then. He absolutely should forget about asking Makoto to leave. He definitely can't shoo this angelic cutie away—not in his vulnerable condition. Makoto can't speak and doesn't even know who he is—thus a conclusion that he's suffering a serious amnesia can be weaved. Besides, Makoto is too mysterious and fascinating for Sousuke to let go of, since he possesses this alluring, honey-glazed voice that haunts Sousuke practically every night.

He can't help a small smirk to show up on his lips. Now his little piece of heaven is in front of him, in the form of a really attractive brunet with beautiful green eyes and a charming smile. Whatever his past is, Sousuke believes he's a perfect angel—his angel.

 _Mine, and mine alone._


	2. The Second Day

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 **Here's another chapter and I hope you enjoy. :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 **The Second Day**

 **:-:**

At the break of dawn, the rain has receded to a drizzle. Light droplets of water gently tap the glass window until a couple of hours to come, even after Yamazaki Sousuke finally snaps open his eyes and grunts in his sleepiness. The teal-eyed man slowly sits up—realizing that he's on his sofa in the living room rather than his bed—and turns his neck to a clock hanging on the wall that reads 6.30 A.M. He stands up and stretches until satisfying cracks from stiff muscles are heard.

Sousuke makes his way upstairs and grabs a towel from its rack near the sun-kissed glass window (which isn't really kissed by the sun right now as the drizzle is too insistent). On his way toward the bathroom, Sousuke stops at the front door of his bedroom. Releasing a soft sigh, he turns the knob to open his door. A cute sight of a gorgeous brunet on his bed welcomes his vision. Makoto is wearing Sousuke's clothes and sleeps like a baby, looking so innocent and peaceful.

Last night, Sousuke had mentally kicked himself when he considered to let Makoto sleep on the living room sofa instead. He's quite protective of his own privacy, and he's possessive over his comfy bed, but he remembered how Makoto shivered in the cold when he showed up at his front door. He simply didn't—and still doesn't have the heart to leave Makoto on the sofa while he happily rests on his own comfy bed.

That's how he finally gave in. He guided Makoto to his bedroom and draped his favorite warm blanket on him while he took a thinner one for himself. He doesn't want Makoto to catch a cold or suffer from a fever. The brunet fell asleep pretty fast. Sousuke turned off the lamp and quietly left his room to sleep in the living room. Rin has once mentioned about him having a heart made of fluffs, contradicting his intimidating size and gruff demeanor.

 _Putting that aside..._

Sousuke can't stop ogling at the charming scenery in front of him. He just notices how Makoto's eyelashes are thicker and darker than he previously thought. He has noticed how soft his lips are, and he is tempted to brush them with his fingertips. Instead of doing what he wants, he looks away and rummages his wardrobe, taking a set of his police officer uniform. Without another look at Makoto, he leaves his bedroom.

He really needs to wash his head—preferably with cold water—so it will knock some good senses to his slightly corrupted mind. He's starting to act like a perverted old man, which he strongly detests from the bottom of his heart.

After entering his bathroom, Sousuke does a quick, cold shower, letting the water pours heavily over his dark hair. The cold water gradually washes his mind clear and he remembers the shell Makoto was bringing with him last night.

 _28 Days._

He wonders if there's an important meaning behind the carving.

* * *

After some brief contemplations, Sousuke decides to fry some rice with shredded chicken. After he's done with the fried rice, he begins to whisk some eggs and milk before frying them to two thin sheets. A full plate of omelet rice sounds quite neutral. He hopes Makoto will enjoy the simple dish—not like the brunet will complain, but Sousuke finds himself caring about Makoto's opinion regarding his cooking. Perhaps it's just a common feeling of wanting to impress a guest.

Although Makoto is not a guest. They're practically living together now, until Sousuke can find out more about Makoto's past and probably discover his real home. A little part of his inner heart dreads the day it will happen—when Makoto detaches himself from Sousuke's life and goes back to whatever home he has, possibly forever.

He frowns at the thought. Why is he feeling this way? Just yesterday Sousuke had thought about shooing Makoto away and going back to his own personal happy business. Now he thinks it's the worst idea ever. He feels his body shuddering. It's just the beginning of the second day and he's starting to lose his footing. He's attached to Makoto more than he intended.

Sousuke turns off the stove and prepares two empty plates and glasses on the kitchen counter. As he carefully arranges two omelet-wrapped fried rice with some fresh vegetables, he hears someone descending on the stairs. When the footsteps are getting nearer, Sousuke has filled the glasses with water and brought their breakfast to the dining table.

"Morning, sleepyhead." Sousuke pulls a chair and lazily sits onto it, flashing no smile at the sleepy brunet. Makoto rubs his fluttering eyelashes as he makes his way inside the dining room. When his droopy sea-green orbs reveal themselves and found Sousuke's teal ones, a cheerful smile adorn his already adorable face. Makoto looks so happy when he spots him. Sousuke imagines him wagging a tail as if he's a puppy.

"Mmm... morning, sleepyhead?" Makoto stops beside him, looking somewhat excited.

"No, wait." Sousuke shakes his head, "Let's try again. Good morning, Makoto."

"Let's try—"

Sousuke's palm lifts up to cover Makoto's mouth. "Good morning, Makoto." He repeats, releasing his palm from Makoto.

"Good morning, Sousuke." Makoto blushes a little. With a frown, the teal-eyed man stands up and presses his palm over Makoto's forehead, feeling his temperature. The brunet seems healthy enough. It will cause another problem if he's sick. He nods approvingly at Makoto.

"What is 'good morning'?" Makoto asks in curiosity, seemingly eager to learn more of the language. Sousuke faces difficulty to explain. He's not a good teacher—at least, he's good at coaching, but he communicates better with someone older who can understand his more complicated words. With Makoto, it feels like he's teaching a little kid how to talk, and that's somewhat frustrating.

He has no other idea except trying to teach Makoto with pictures and objects, and he has no time to do that. Sousuke shakes his head, "Later."

"Later?"

"Tch." Sousuke forgets to hide his annoyance. Makoto's smile vanishes and he looks down, looking uncomfortable. He opens his mouth as if to tell him something, but closes it again.

"No. It's okay. I'm the jerk here. Just eat, okay?" Sousuke points to a full plate of omelet rice at the other end of the dining table. Makoto blankly stares at the omelet rice, but Sousuke catches him gulping at the sight. A small smile cracks on Sousuke's lips. "Makoto, sit down." He gestures to the chair in front of the plate. Makoto immediately understands and does what Sousuke told him.

 _He seems really smart. I just need to be a little patient,_ Sousuke thought to himself. He hands Makoto a spoon, which is taken with more confused expression. Sousuke's eyes squint in suspicion as he watches the brunet. _Don't tell me he doesn't even know how to use a spoon. Where does he come from, really? A native tribe hidden behind many mountains?_

"Makoto, look at me." Sousuke says, preparing himself with his own spoon. The brunet obediently looks at him. "This is eat. I'm eating." He demonstrates how to use the spoon and eats his own portion of omelet rice. Makoto mirrors what Sousuke is doing almost perfectly. When Sousuke is finished with his meal, Makoto takes another spoonful of rice and munches the last piece of vegetable, leaving his plate clean except for the remaining oil.

Sousuke takes his glass and leaves it empty with big gulps. While trying to mimic the tiny details of Sousuke's action, Makoto chokes on the water and coughs. "You okay?" Sousuke asks in concern, but Makoto just smiles at him, coughing a little until he's relieved.

"Makoto, I need to go to work." Sousuke quickly stands up, realizing that he has spent a little too much time in the dining room. After paying another glance at Makoto, Sousuke releases a deep sigh before walking out of the dining room and up the stairs. He snatches a fresh set of his casual clothes and Makoto's towel, taking a large volume of dictionary and dashes off downstairs. Makoto is waiting at the small corridor just beside the stairs, watching Sousuke with interest.

"Okay. Here. Take a shower. Use the bathroom." Sousuke hands him a towel and another set of clothes. "If you want to study, you can use my laptop—" he points to the laptop on top of the table in the living room, which is luckily visible from their positions, "—and this is dictionary. For learning. You understand?"

Makoto vaguely nods, taking the large volume of dictionary and holding it on top of Sousuke's clothes in his arms.

"Now I have to go. See you. Bye." Sousuke lifts his hand and waves in front of Makoto.

The green-eyed man gathers the stuffs Sousuke has given him in one arm, then he raises his free hand and waves, giving a charming smile. "I understand. See you. Bye."

"Smart guy. Keep being that way." Sousuke grins and rushes off to the front door of his house. When he makes it outside, the drizzle is still gently pouring over the town. Sousuke grabs his umbrella along with him. Arriving at the station with damp uniform isn't a nice sight to his seniors. When Sousuke's hand reaches the house key in his pocket, he hesitates.

Is he going to lock Makoto inside without giving him a key?

Sounds like an abusive, psychotic boyfriend who keeps his partner prisoner. Well, perhaps not that extreme. At least he doesn't lock Makoto in one room or even tie him up. Not like what some crazy abusive husbands (and even wives) admit in his times assisting his seniors in interrogation room.

Yet, he can't risk Makoto going outside because of curiosity or whatever it is and getting lost. Sousuke won't be pleased if Makoto shows up in his station, trying to ask for direction, but clueless at how to do so. Worse, Makoto doesn't know the function of a police station and just wanders off to who knows where. Then again, what if someone takes advantage of his innocence? What if he has no idea about the purpose of zebra cross or traffic lights and a speeding car hits him?

Sousuke reluctantly locks his door, hoping that Makoto won't attempt to go outside and realize that he's been locked inside. He makes a mental note to go home as soon as possible after his shift and begins to open his umbrella, making his way to the police station.

* * *

At noon, the drizzle has finally stopped. The sky gradually paints itself with bright shades of blue. The sun shows up its cheery presence and spreads its warm light, gently drying the damp town. Makoto has showered and learnt to brush his teeth with Sousuke's toothbrush, simply by following any picture on the back of toothpaste box that indicate how to use it. At first, he swallowed the paste and regretted it for the horrible taste. He ended up spitting it out with the help of water and washing the remaining of it on his mouth.

He spent hours to read the dictionary and browse, imitating what Sousuke has done the day before. He searches any word he can remember Sousuke has mentioned on the dictionary, finding how it is spelled, and types it on the internet search engine to find some images. Some pictures help him to understand a word, some don't.

Now he understands what are the meanings of 'good' and 'morning'. 'Good' means pointing his thumb up. 'Morning' means the time when the sun rises. Then, when someone says 'good morning', it means...

Makoto points his thumb up, walking toward the window and directing it to the scorching hot sun on the sky. He frowns as he contemplates the meaning behind the strange gesture of pointing the thumb toward the sun. Then again, Sousuke didn't even point his thumb when he said 'good morning, Makoto'.

He has typed the words 'good morning' on the search engine and is confused by the various different images of foods, roses, sunrise, and cups of coffee. Everything has something to do with 'morning', but then what differentiates it with the additional 'good'?

When Makoto accidentally taps on a website, he spots another search engine. Driven with curiosity, the brunet types the words 'good morning' and finds a video with a large 'good morning' picture on it. As he opens it up, cheerful music starts to play. It's a children's song, and Makoto starts singing along. He likes singing, and singing in Sousuke's language is unexpectedly fun.

As Makoto diligently learns a lot of phrases and new words he has found in the dictionary, sometimes singing them, he wonders what should be appropriate for him to do when Sousuke comes back. When he woke up in the morning, Sousuke has prepared him food.

That's it. Food.

He carefully places the laptop onto the table and leaves the sofa, walking toward the kitchen. It's weird, though. He doesn't remember who he is, but he does remember how to do things. He remembers seeing people slapping a body of poor dying fish onto something black that grilled it with terrifying fire. He remembers how people would wave and say 'see you' or 'good bye' before they parted ways, or before one left the other. He remembers people talking about technology and how it was some kind of 'fancy stuff'. He remembers people doing lots of different activities without him among them.

Yet he doesn't remember where did he see them. They are like things that have been copied in his memories. It's like they are attached to his memories since forever, that he doesn't remember the first time he learned about them.

A stove is in front of him. Kitchen counters. Cooking utensils. A fridge. Problem is, Makoto doesn't know what he should do. He wanders around, finally spotting a book on one of the counter. Makoto opens the book and is delighted by various colorful pictures of foods printed on the pages. He smiles when he reads some big words beside each picture. With great enthusiasm, Makoto scurries over to Sousuke's laptop and takes it with him.

Settling the laptop on the kitchen counter, Makoto types in the name of a food he has found in the book for some videos of it. His smile stretches even wider when he finds a clear instruction with moving pictures about how to cook it.

Makoto awkwardly follows the steps. When he succeeds in turning on the stove and prepares to fry some ingredients, the video abruptly stops and Sousuke's laptop dies out of battery. The brunet tilts his head in confusion.

* * *

"Sousuke, I'll drop by your house today."

"No."

Rin's eyes twitch in suspicion. "What the—you never rejected me so quickly before."

"Is that so?" The dark-haired man massages his temple. "It's nothing. I just need to be alone today."

"This is intriguing." Rin sits in front of Sousuke's table, resting his chin on his palm. "You've been daydreaming a lot today. It seems like your mind isn't really with you. You know you can tell me anything, Sousuke. Am I not your best friend?" He grins, fingers fidgeting with his police cap. Matsuoka Rin has been friends with Sousuke since childhood. Despite all the fights they had with each other and endless (sometimes pointless) arguments about pretty much anything, most of their friends know that Matsuoka Rin and Yamazaki Sousuke are two inseparable beings.

They're more inseparable now after they applied for the same job.

Sousuke knows he can trust Rin with anything, but that means a little sharing about his secret piece of heaven at the back of his house. A little piece of heaven that has manifested to a gorgeous green-eyed brunet with angelic smile and honey-glazed voice, that is. He shakes his head and rubs the back of his neck before he finally gives in.

"Then come to my house. You'll understand what's bothering me."

"Great. Thanks for your trust, Sousuke." Rin raises his fist, and Sousuke bumps his fist against Rin's. When Sousuke's lips crack a smile, Rin exhales a breath of relief. "Thank goodness. You finally smile."

* * *

Makoto fails to register what's actually happening, but a blast of fire is now consuming the stove. He must have made a mistake, but he doesn't know what. He has tried to push the power button of Sousuke's laptop several times with no avail. Without further guidance, he really doesn't have a clue about what to do.

Dense black smoke starts to fill in the entire kitchen. Makoto's eyes sting with tears and his chest feels constricted. The more he breathes, the more his lungs tightens and he coughs.

It hurts.

He keeps coughing as the black smoke intensifies, gradually clouding his vision. Makoto darts outside the kitchen and reaches the front door, trying to find Sousuke. His heart jumps in horror when he realizes that the door has been locked from the outside. Makoto stubbornly turns the knob of the door, hoping it will miraculously open. When it doesn't, Makoto starts to knock.

"Sousuke?" He calls in between his heavy breathing and incessant coughing. "Sou—" he coughs, "Sousuke!"

Makoto shrieks in fright when a heart-stopping sound of explosion blasts to his ears. He presses his hand over his chest, feeling his heartbeats speed up. Fighting his own fear, Makoto dashes back to the kitchen, which has been licked by a greater fire. His head is spinning at the lack of oxygen, but Makoto forces it to remember where the window is.

With weakening legs, Makoto tries to hold his breath and penetrates through the dense smoke and toward the obscured window. His fingers fumble in panic to find a hook or whatever it is that's keeping the window from opening. When Makoto succeeds in opening up the window, the black smoke starts to dissipate as it makes its way outside.

"Sousuke!" He shouts outside the window and receives no answer.

* * *

"Goodness me."

Sousuke is frozen on his place, teal eyes widen in shock. His heart must have stop beating and his pulse dies cold when he realizes the dense black smoke is actually coming out from his own house. Some pedestrians are already crowding over the fire scene. A blast of fire burst out from the window, blazing around the area.

 _"Shit."_ Rin curses, punching an emergency number on his cellphone. "How is this possible—did you forget to turn off your stove or what?" Rin bares his shark-like teeth to his best friend, his own body trembling.

"Makoto." Sousuke breathes after he regains his senses.

"What?"

"Makoto!" Sousuke runs toward the front door of his house in panic. "Mako—"

"Sousuke."

Both Rin and Sousuke froze on their position. When Sousuke turns his head to the direction of the voice, Makoto is standing among the crowds. He's still coughing and covered in soot, but he manages a gentle, sad smile.

"Welcome home, Sousuke."

He doesn't know when and where did Makoto learn about the words, but that doesn't matter right now. His fear bubbles up to a surge of relief as Sousuke promptly rushes toward Makoto and pulls the brunet in his embrace. "Y-you okay...?" He whispers, finding his own voice shaking—no—his entire body is shaking as he wraps his arms around Makoto.

"I'm sorry." Makoto answers, nodding slightly. "I understand."

Sousuke wants to laugh at the false use of the words, but he can't. Instead, he tightens his embrace even more. Behind him, he can hear Rin reporting about a house fire on his phone and requesting immediate help. Before Rin ends the call, the blaring sounds of firetruck sirens are heard. Looks like someone has already made the call.

Not that Sousuke cares. What matters most is his angel, safe in his arms.

"I'm home, Makoto."

* * *

 **Notes:**

 **For _kanamexzero fan:_** I'm definitely continuing this. Hope you enjoy this one. Thank you, and you're welcome. :)

 **I'm sorry. I usually have the tendency to make Makoto a little troublesome. I hope you won't mind. It's just unintentional.**

 **Reviews are very much appreciated. I hope I will see you again in the next chapter!**


	3. The Seventh Day

**Thank you for your lovely reviews, putting this story to fave and/or following this story. ^^**

 **Well, I hope you'll also enjoy this chapter. Cheers.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

 **The Seventh Day**

 **:-:**

Sousuke tugs the collar of Makoto's red plaid shirt (which is Sousuke's, literally), gazing sharply across the brunet's entire body. The shirt is pretty old itself and no longer fitting Sousuke's huge body. On Makoto, it's almost a perfect fit, and seems pretty decent. "Just a little more," Sousuke scrubs his chin before pulling and folding Makoto's sleeves up until they reach his elbows, "Makoto, release the buttons."

The brunet blinks at him, digging his brain to find out the meaning of the words. When his brain does its job, his face brightens and Makoto begins to carefully unbutton his shirt. It reveals a v-neck black shirt under it. Sousuke drags the red plaid shirt away until it exposes more of the black shirt. Giving a final look at Makoto's trousers and his entire appearance, Sousuke nods in satisfaction.

"There. You look pretty good."

Makoto raises his thumb up, eyes fix against Sousuke's, trying to find reassurance. Sousuke lets out a small smile.

"Yeah, you look good."

"Okay." A cheerful smile breaks across Makoto's face. "Sousuke, thank you!"

"You're welcome, Makoto." Sousuke can't suppress a wider smile on his lips and he finally gives in. "You learn quickly. I must say I'm impressed. We'll stop by the bookstore later, alright? Maybe we can find something easier for you to learn, probably a pocket dictionary for you to carry around."

"Uh..." Makoto's smile turns sheepish as he shakes his head, "I don't understand you fully, but are you telling me that maybe we will search for more books and dictionaries for me to learn?"

Sousuke's eyes widen a little in surprise. "You're making great progress." He praises. "Do think about the whole meanings of my words, though. Let's go." Sousuke walks toward the front door and opens it up. Makoto makes his way outside, looking around in much interest and sucking every sight his eyes manage to take. Sousuke follows after, closing the door of his house and locking it.

It's finally weekend. Today is the seventh day since Makoto's arrival at his house. After the fire incident, Sousuke dealt with his insurance company, receiving a cover for replacement, repair and renovation. What he currently needs to do is finding a new stove, a new laptop, and bucket of paint.

While he was busy with work and handling the kitchen, he let Makoto learn. The brunet is extremely diligent, to the point where he never slept properly. He always fell asleep with dictionaries and books scattered around him. Sometimes Sousuke would carry him to the bedroom, draping blanket over his body and leave quietly. In the morning, Makoto would wake up with a new hunger for more words. In his leisure times, Sousuke taught him about colors and conversational sentences.

Ever since the fire incident, to Rin's demanding questions, Sousuke reluctantly explained about Makoto's presence in his house. The maroon-haired man didn't seem impressed. Sousuke hadn't yet told him about Makoto having an unusual voice by the sea that hummed to him every night.

Sousuke had tried, almost every night, to visit his usual spot near the seashore to listen to the humming of the sea. Just like he'd expected, he could no longer hear the humming. It has stopped since the day of Makoto's arrival. Such fact proved that Makoto is indeed the source of that voice.

"Meet me in front of our usual coffee kiosk at nine. Bring this Makoto along with you. I'm going to see him myself." Rin had said. Sousuke agreed, feeling quite positive that his angel is going to win Rin's approval.

"Makoto." Sousuke turns. Makoto is patiently waiting for him, smiling brightly at Sousuke. His smile is as warm as the morning sunshine drenching their bodies. Sousuke smiles gently at the sight, feeling warmth emanating within his stomach.

As they leave the house, they stroll together, side by side. Sousuke feels his fingers itching to thread through Makoto's. He's sure Makoto won't pull his hand, nor will he mind in the slightest. Yet, in his nature, Sousuke can't take that advantage. Not yet, at least. He pays a glance at Makoto. The brunet is watching the stretching sky—blue with white puffy clouds swimming beside each other.

"Sky." Sousuke says, pulling Makoto's attention like a strong magnet. Now, Makoto is watching him, eyes brighten in anticipation. "Sky," Sousuke repeats, pointing toward the sky above. Makoto's eyes immediately follow. "Blue sky. White clouds. Shining sun."

"Oh, I understand." Makoto turns toward Sousuke, eyes closed up as his lips stretch a happy smile—as happy as the smiling sun in children's books. Sousuke nods in contentment. Now that Makoto can differentiate colors, it's easier for him to extend his vocabularies.

As they stroll around the streets and shopping district, Sousuke patiently answers Makoto's incessant questions about the name of the things he's curious about. Pretty much everything around them catches Makoto's interest, but it seems like the brunet knows how to hold back and bury his thirst for knowledge at a certain limit.

Sousuke pulls Makoto to an ice cream shop, hand gesturing to a set of menu for Makoto to choose. "You should try this. Maybe you'll like it." Sousuke says, "What about chocolate?"

"What is this...?" Makoto asks in genuine curiosity.

"Ice cream. It has many flavors for you to choose."

Makoto points to an orange-flavored ice cream. "I like this color."

"Well, if you say so. I want this one." Sousuke's finger lands on a picture of chocolate ice cream. "Tell her, Makoto."

"One orange and one brown—"

"Chocolate." Sousuke interrupts.

"One orange and one chocolate, please." Makoto promptly corrects himself, blushing a little in embarrassment.

"No need to be shy. You're doing great." Before Sousuke can stop himself, he briefly ruffles Makoto's silky olive-brown hair. Makoto flashes a smile as his blushes deepen. Feeling rapid heartbeats against his ribcage, Sousuke pulls his hand and looks away. Yet, his teal eyes spot a dazed ice cream seller—a young woman who seems to be near their age—completely stunned at Makoto's angelic smile and sweet voice.

With a stupid grin, the seller begins to prepare their orders. Sousuke's brows scrunch up. Perhaps bringing Makoto around the town isn't a really good idea. He shakes his head, realizing he has thought about ridiculous things. Makoto deserves an exploration around town, of course. Sousuke's possessiveness shouldn't prevent Makoto from doing anything he wants.

"Here you go." The seller exclaims, her voice an octave higher. She hands Makoto two cones of ice creams. When Makoto replies with the sweetest thank you, the young seller blushes. "I've never seen you around town. Are you a tourist? Or did you just move here?"

"What's a tour—"

"He's my friend from another town." Sousuke says, pulling Makoto closer to him as he slams his cash on the counter. "Keep the change. Let's go, Makoto."

After giving the chocolate ice cream to Sousuke, Makoto obediently follows him, waving good bye at the enthusiastic seller. When Makoto happily smiles at him and walks closer to his side, Sousuke feels a bit embarrassed at his own jealousy.

"Mmm..."

Sousuke's head turns, looking at Makoto with interest. The brunet gently licks the orange ice cream in his hand, burying his soft lips against the cream. "Cold, and sweet, a little bit sour."

"You really did your homework well, Makoto." Sousuke grins at him, feeling proud every time Makoto can accurately remember and choose the right words. "Do you like it?"

Makoto nods, sucking a large portion of ice cream with his mouth. He cringes at the cold against his teeth. Yet, when he swallows, soon a smile follows. "It's delicious."

"Here." Sousuke offers his ice cream, "Mine's chocolate. Have a taste."

"Have a taste?" The brunet echoes as he leans closer, licking a bit of Sousuke's ice cream. His sea-green eyes widen as the soft ice cream quickly dissolves on his tongue. After a gulp, Makoto chimes. "It's so delicious. Uh, better than mine."

"Oh, so you like chocolate? If you want, just take mine." Sousuke doesn't really like to share, but it seems like his heart has turned all fluffy for Makoto. His angel gazes at the chocolate ice cream, tongue sneaks out a little to lick the side of his upper lip. Then, he shakes his head.

"No." He replies, flashing a wide smile to Sousuke, "I don't want it."

Sousuke glowers at him. "Why?"

"It's Sousuke's," Makoto tilts his head, seemingly unaffected by Sousuke's intimidating demeanor, "I want a happy Sousuke."

The teal-eyed man feels his breath suspends in his throat. Blushes creep on his face, glowing pink on Sousuke's gruff face. "O-oh..." His stammers, failing to produce another word.

"Yo, Sousuke!" Rin's voice snaps him out of his brief trance. Sousuke quickly looks up, trying to distract himself from this unexpected butterflies swarming in his stomach.

"Rin." He isn't aware that they've finally arrived in front of the coffee kiosk. Their little stroll feels too short.

Rin strides toward them, showing his row of shark teeth in between his smirking lips. He immediately sets his eyes to Makoto, scanning him over from the very top of his olive-brown hair to his toes. Makoto blinks as a reaction, staring at Rin with new interest. His curious eyes fix on Rin's sharp teeth.

"So you're Makoto, huh? I'm Matsuoka Rin." The maroon-haired man introduces, extending a hand toward Makoto.

"I am. Such a great pleasure to meet you, Matsuoka Rin." Makoto takes Rin's hand for a polite handshake, with the brightest smile possible adorning his sweet face and a tilt of head. The sight gives freshness and sunshine that bloom the invisible flowers planted in Rin's heart.

"O-ooh..." Rin gawks, flabbergasted and utterly charmed. "S-Sousuke..."

"What?"

"Marry him."

"The hell are you talking about?" Scarlet shade of red streaks across Sousuke's face.

"What's 'marry'?" Makoto asks, his smile hasn't faded.

Sousuke grunts. "No, it's nothing—"

Rin interrupts. "'Marry' means you promise to love each other for a lifetime and you'll be together forever. Just the two of you, as partners in life, till death do you apart."

"I don't understand." The brunet smiles apologetically.

"Really?" Rin starts to smirk, his red irises sharpen. "Hey, Sousuke. Buy some coffee for us. I need to talk to your Makoto for a while." He pulls out his wallet and hands Sousuke his cash.

Sousuke sighs, taking the cash from Rin. He doesn't know exactly what Rin is going to talk about with Makoto, but he puts his trust in Rin. "I'll be back." Sousuke says, leaving them alone to stay in line of queue of the coffee kiosk.

"So, Makoto." Rin's smile vanishes and he suddenly turns serious, "If you think you can fool Sousuke, you're wrong. Sooner or later Sousuke will discover all those bullshits coming out from you. I don't care if you have those ridiculous fake smile and voice. I don't trust you, and I know you're acting everything out. We know a liar when we see one. What I'm trying to say is, stay away from Sousuke, for your own good." Rin glares at him, "You will be done for once he finds out how fake you are."

Makoto stares blankly at him, completely clueless. "I'm sorry...? I don't understand—"

"Stop with that bullshit."

"What's a bull—"

Rin pushes Makoto toward a brick wall, trapping his bigger body with Rin's palms slammed over the wall. "I don't know what you're targeting in him, but you chose the wrong target, Makoto—if that even your real name."

"Name...?" Complete bewilderment lightens on his face. It's one of the few words Makoto can register to his brain, "what's with my name...?"

Rin glares at him with knife-sharp eyes, before his gaze softens and he slowly releases Makoto. "I'm impressed," he comments, "either you're the best actor I've ever seen, or you're just purely genuine."

"Excuse me...? Um, Rin," Makoto smiles amiably, "I will learn more so I can talk better with you, okay?"

"Sousuke taught you those sentences, didn't he?" Rin finally grins, "You're intriguing, Makoto. Are you even human? You have a different aura."

"I hope I can understand you, Rin. Thank you for trying." Makoto smiles innocently at him, "Oh, Sousuke." His attention slides away to Sousuke, who's making his way toward them. The moment Makoto looks at Sousuke, Rin catches a glimpse of pure emotion in his sea-green eyes—an emotion very similar to the definition of 'love' in Rin's personal dictionary.

"Shit..." Rin curses under his breath.

Sousuke glances at Rin before pulling up a small smile. "What were you guys talking about?"

"I couldn't understand what Rin said. I'm sorry." Makoto presents a shy smile.

"It's okay. Right, Rin?" Sousuke smirks at him. Rin sighs, stepping closer to Sousuke.

"He's pure." Rin informs him, adjusting his volume low enough only for Sousuke to hear, "Or he's the best actor ever. Though I must say, he doesn't seem human to me. He feels a bit bizarre."

"That's what I thought." Sousuke finally releases a gentler smile, "Well, I guess for now I'll trust my own judgment. Although I don't believe it if he isn't human. It's you who's still believing in mythical creatures."

"I don't." Rin snarls, "Anyway, remember that we don't know who he is or his background. Don't get lovestruck."

"Huh. I won't. Thanks for the reminder, Rin." As their gazes break, Sousuke's teal eyes shift to find Makoto. Creases form up between his brows when he fails to find the brunet. "Where's Makoto...?" He looks around, a surge of panic rises up in his chest.

"Calm down, Sousuke. Your angel's there." Rin breathes a sigh of relief, pointing toward a pet store. Makoto is lingering in front of the glass shop window, eyes boring on one particular kitten staring back at him from behind the glass.

Sousuke approaches him, resting his palm over Makoto's shoulder and gives a little squeeze. "You like kittens?" He asks, offering a glass of chocolate drink he has bought from the coffee kiosk. Makoto receives the drink with a lovely smile and a mildly spoken thank you.

"So this is called 'kitten'?" Makoto crouches down in front of the glass, his fingers press against the glass window. "I like it."

Despite his words, Makoto's attention is no longer set on the kitten, but on something behind the cage. Sousuke bends his body, trying to find what has captured Makoto's gaze. He sees a glimpse of saltwater aquarium inside the store, standing several meters behind the kitten cage. "Oh, are you looking at the fish? Do you like them?"

When Makoto doesn't reply, Sousuke turns to the brunet. The usual shine on Makoto's eyes has gone. There are darker shades coloring his green eyes. Makoto seems distant, like he's completely in trance, trapped in his own realm of thoughts—a mysterious realm that Sousuke can't reach.

"Makoto?" Sousuke calls in concern. Makoto doesn't even move a single inch, nor does he bat an eye. "Makoto? Hey... you alright?" Sousuke shakes Makoto's shoulder, trying to gain his attention. Makoto is as still as a doll—like he's hypnotized. Bewilderment and worry start to place weight on Sousuke's chest.

"Oi, Makoto!" Rin calls loudly, stepping beside Sousuke.

Finally, Makoto bats his eyes, his body going rigid as if he's been washed out of a sudden with ice cold water. Makoto quickly jerks his head to them with overwhelming fear characterized on his face. It lasts for a second before Makoto calms down and smiles in relief. "What is it?" He asks, slowly standing up.

"Are you alright? You looked like you're in trance." Rin asks, actually worried over Makoto.

"Excuse me, but what is 'trance'?"

"You looked scared," Sousuke changes the word to one he's sure Makoto will understand. Sousuke is indeed more concern about the brief yet intense fear he's just witnessed on Makoto.

"Oh, I..." Makoto trails off, looking away at nothing in the distance, "I think I remember..."

Both Sousuke and Rin can't take their eyes off Makoto. Curiosity has taken over, both of them eager to receive further explanation. Anxiety has unexpectedly crept inside Sousuke's tightening chest. He isn't sure if he wants Makoto to overcome his amnesia, or not. At one side, he's curious about Makoto's past, but on the other, he's afraid Makoto's returning memory will slowly but surely drag Makoto away from his grasp.

"I remember feeling scared at..." Makoto stops, helplessly looking at them, "I don't know the words. I can't talk."

"Yeah? Maybe you can tell us with a picture or an object?" Rin suggests.

"Picture...?" Makoto tries to remember the word. Then, he points toward the pet shop window, eyes focusing on the saltwater aquarium visible from it.

"And what do you mean by that? You remember seeing an aquarium? That's it?" Rin frowns.

"Um..." Makoto looks at loss for words and shakes his head. "I'm so sorry..."

"No, it's okay. Rin, he can't explain yet." Sousuke flashes a glare to his best friend, "Just let him be for a while. Makoto," he turns to Makoto, smiling a little, "explain later. Shall we go?" He extends a hand. When Makoto takes it, Sousuke feels the comfortable warmth and the softness of Makoto's skin, caressed against his.

 _Mine,_ Sousuke thinks, _his past shouldn't matter. He's mine now._

* * *

Later that night, Sousuke rests his bones on a new futon he has chosen together with Makoto and Rin. He's lucky enough to get a comfy futon with convenient price. It feels much better than sleeping on the sofa for almost a week straight. He's relaxing in his room, with Makoto sitting by his study desk, engrossed in a new children's book Sousuke has purchased for him. Children's books have pictures and simplified words, not to forget quite interesting stories, thus it's almost a perfect media for Makoto to learn.

After reading halfway, Makoto gently closes the book, treating it with such care like it's his personal treasure. He stands up and turns toward the futon. "Sousuke," he calls, crouching down beside Sousuke, "you should stay up."

"Stay up...?" Sousuke grunts in his sleepiness.

Makoto points to his comfy bed beside the futon, "Up. Um... above? You should be above."

"Nah. It's okay. Here's fine." Sousuke shuts his eyes, ready to welcome his dreamland.

"But Sousuke should be above," Makoto insists, shaking Sousuke's body awake, "Because it's better and Sousuke will be happy."

"Look at me, Makoto." Sousuke says, gaining Makoto's eyes to fix against his, "I'm happy below, too." He forces an awkward, flat-toned laughter. It does nothing to impress Makoto. The brunet stares blankly at him before he pulls Sousuke's blanket and slides his own body beside Sousuke, forcing the taller man to give more space. Half of Sousuke's body is pushed out of his futon. When he's about to protest, Makoto snuggles near him, pressing his body against Sousuke to share the warmth.

"No, Makoto." Fighting the urge to give in and embrace the brunet beside him, Sousuke says with new determination, "Go away. Sleep on the bed."

Makoto's face flushes in embarrassment. He pulls away, forcing his body to stand on his knees beside Sousuke. His green eyes delivers a silent plea to Sousuke. Plea for what, the teal-eyed man doesn't know. "I just want Sousuke to be happy." Makoto whispers. His hushed voice makes Sousuke shudders in pleasure. He will definitely enjoy those hushes near his ear.

"If you want me to be happy," Sousuke replies weakly, trying not to be dazzled, "go sleep on the bed."

Makoto finally stands up and climbs on Sousuke's bed. Sousuke knows that Makoto is just being obedient, if not believing Sousuke's words that he's happier on thinner sheets.

"Good night, Makoto." Sousuke watches the brunet pulling his blanket over his body as he lies down.

"Good night, Sousuke." Makoto replies, with a sweeter voice than what he has heard on daytime. Is it just him, or Makoto's voice is always particularly sweeter and much more alluring on night time?

As he closes his eyes, he wonders about what piece of memory that has come back to Makoto when he watched the aquarium. He wonders about the '28 Days' carving on Makoto's seashell. He wonders if it's some sort of a countdown, if he has only twenty eight days to spend with Makoto.

Yet, he also wonders if it's possible for him to keep Makoto forever, if Makoto is indeed his, and his alone. No one will come and take Makoto away from him, won't it?

Much later in the night—probably midnight—Sousuke cracks open an eye. His ears catch a humming. It flows in the air with melodious, sweetest voice he's ever heard in his entire life. It's exactly like the one he'd heard every night before Makoto arrived at his front door, if not better. The humming is as clear as bell, now that Makoto is so close to him.

The brunet is sitting on the bed, head lifted toward the silver moon hanging low on the sky. Moonlight drenches over his body, penetrating through the glass window. Its curtain has been slid apart. Makoto's sea-green eyes are closed as melody escapes from his vocal cords, sweet and rich as honey, almost dangerously alluring that Sousuke can no longer think clearly.

"Who are you...?" Sousuke whispers, voice low enough that Makoto is oblivious to it. "If you leave, please take me with you, Makoto..."

 _To wherever it is._

* * *

 **Notes:**

 **For _kanamexzero fan:_** thank you! He is indeed cute for me, and in Sousuke's eyes, of course. Thank you for you too, dear reader. Makoto is a merman in here, as I've mentioned in the notes of chapter 1, but other than that, there's no more information yet about who he actually is. Thank you to you too, dear reader. ^^

 **For _Guest:_** Wow, thank you and hope you'll also like this chapter!

 **For _Eri:_** Thank you! I'm still learning to write fluffs but I hope this will be quite satisfying for now. Oh, yes. Now that you mentioned it, it looked like one. XD Thanks again and hope you'll enjoy this one, as well.


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